Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

What Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada does

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is a national health charity founded in 1952 and headquartered in Toronto (2300 Yonge St., Suite 1200) that funds cardiovascular and stroke research, delivers public health education, and advocates for policy change in Canada. The organization operates a multi-channel digital and event-based footprint anchored by heartandstroke.ca, which integrates health information across 26 heart conditions, diagnostic tests, treatments, and healthy-recipe content, alongside the Risk Screen tool for personalized cardiovascular risk profiling, CPR and AED training resources, and the Community Connect patient support platform. Programmatic event infrastructure includes Ride for Heart (annual cycling event in its 39th year), Jump Rope for Heart (school-based fundraising program with Desjardins Group as presenting partner), the Heart & Stroke Lottery, Fundraise Your Way peer-to-peer fundraising portal, The Beat podcast, and the Healthline newsletter.

Revenue is generated through diversified streams: individual one-time and recurring donations, event-based fundraising, corporate sponsorships (notably CPKC's $1.5 million 'Has Heart' commitment and Desjardins Group), legacy giving (bequests, gifts in wills, life insurance), and lottery ticket sales. The foundation serves a broad set of stakeholder segments including the general public, women (with a dedicated vertical addressing gender-specific cardiovascular risk), schools and youth, healthcare professionals (via Stroke Best Practices clinical guidelines and continuing education), people living with heart disease or stroke, Indigenous communities, and funded academic researchers. Partnerships such as the mutual collaboration with March of Dimes Canada extend the foundation's rehabilitation and recovery service surface.

Name

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

Legal name

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

Website

https://heartandstroke.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is a national health charity founded in 1952 that funds cardiovascular and stroke research, delivers public health education, and runs national fundraising programs (Ride for Heart, Jump Rope for Heart, lottery) for Canadians across all provinces and territories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Charity Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Health charity services
• Cardiovascular research funding
• Health education resources
• Community fundraising events
• Stroke prevention awareness

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and monthly donations from individual supporters to fund life-saving research and programs.
2. Fundraising Events: Major events including Ride for Heart (annual cycling event), Jump Rope for Heart (school-based program), and Jewel of Life (annual gala). These events generate participation fees and pledges.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Sponsorships and partnerships with corporations such as CPKC ($1.5M commitment) and Desjardins Group (presenting partner for Jump Rope for Heart) to support specific programs and events.
4. Legacy Giving: Bequests, gifts in wills, life insurance donations, and registered investment gifts that provide long-term sustainable funding.
5. Heart & Stroke Lottery: A charitable lottery program that generates significant revenue for the organization through ticket sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is a national health charity that funds cardiovascular and stroke research, delivers free authoritative health information and risk-assessment tools to Canadians, and operates community fundraising programs (Jump Rope for Heart, Ride for Heart, Fundraise Your Way, Heart & Stroke Lottery). It provides CPR and AED training resources, a heart-healthy recipe library, clinical guidelines for professionals, and targeted initiatives for women's heart health and Indigenous communities. Its core digital channels are heartandstroke.ca, an e-commerce shop, and event registration portals supported by donor contributions and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada operates a unified digital platform (heartandstroke.ca) that serves as the primary interface for delivering its charitable mission. The core offering is a comprehensive health information website that integrates multiple programs and services: the Risk Screen Tool for personalized cardiovascular risk assessment, extensive CPR training resources, a library of heart-healthy recipes, and community fundraising programs including Jump Rope for Heart, Ride for Heart, and Fundraise Your Way. Content offerings include The Beat podcast and Healthline newsletter. Professional resources encompass Stroke Best Practices guidelines, research funding programs, and continuing education. Specialized initiatives target women's heart health and Indigenous health. The organization also operates e-commerce (Shop) and lottery fundraising programs. This is a healthcare charity, not a technology product with APIs or integration capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Heart & Stroke: Primary brand name used for marketing, programs, and communications.
• Healthline
• Risk Screen
• Jump Rope for Heart
• Ride for Heart
• Fundraise Your Way
• The Beat
• HeartSmart Kids

Products and services

• Risk Screen Tool A free online risk assessment tool that delivers a personalized cardiovascular and stroke risk profile and action plan based on user-supplied health information. Available to the general public and marketed specifically to women, who face 90% lifetime risk of heart disease and stroke.
• CPR Training Program Educational resources and training materials for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) use, including CPR guidelines and certification information for the Canadian public.
• Heart-Healthy Recipes A free online library of heart-healthy recipes organized by category (appetizers, breakfast, desserts, fish and seafood, meat, meatless dishes, poultry, side dishes, soups and salads, kid-friendly meals), each with nutritional analysis, for Canadians seeking heart-healthy meal ideas.
• Jump Rope for Heart A school-based fundraising and physical activity program that teaches children about heart health while raising funds for the foundation, presented by Desjardins Group.
• Ride for Heart An annual national cycling event in its 39th year that brings together Canadians to raise funds for heart disease and stroke research, with CPKC Has Heart as a supporting partner.
• Fundraise Your Way A flexible online fundraising platform that enables supporters to create personalized campaigns to raise money for heart and stroke research.
• The Beat Podcast A podcast series covering heart health research, patient stories, and expert interviews across multiple seasons, exploring topics such as stroke care, heart transplants, and women's cardiovascular health.
• Healthline Newsletter A regular email newsletter delivering expert healthy living tips, research updates, and inspiring stories to subscribers.
• Heart & Stroke Lottery A charitable lottery program that sells tickets to generate significant fundraising revenue for the foundation's mission.
• Stroke Best Practices Evidence-based clinical guidelines and resources for healthcare professionals managing stroke care, including patient resources and continuing education materials.
• Research Funding Programs Grant programs supporting cardiovascular and stroke research, including personnel awards for women's heart and brain health, Black scholars, and Indigenous scholars, as well as chairs, professorships, and operating grants.
• Women's Heart Health Initiative Specialized resources addressing women's unique cardiovascular risks, including research networks of excellence, targeted risk-factor information, and women's-specific heart-health campaigns.
• Indigenous Health Program Health initiatives specifically designed to address cardiovascular disparities in Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) communities across Canada, including targeted research and culturally appropriate resources.
• HeartSmart Kids An educational program and website that teaches children about heart health and healthy habits through classroom-ready resources.
• Shop Heart & Stroke An online merchandise store (shop.heartandstroke.ca) that sells Heart & Stroke branded products, with proceeds supporting the foundation's mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of women are at risk for heart disease and stroke
• +1 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• Desjardins GroupcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Desjardins Group serves as presenting partner for Jump Rope for Heart, one of Heart & Stroke's flagship school-based programs. This partnership has been renewed multiple times, demonstrating a long-term commitment to the program that engages thousands of Canadian schoolchildren in heart-healthy physical activity while raising funds.
• March of Dimes CanadanotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeart & Stroke and March of Dimes Canada collaborate on programs and initiatives to support people living with stroke and other disabilities, combining expertise and resources to improve rehabilitation and recovery outcomes.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Heart Association: The largest US heart-disease nonprofit and the most direct global counterpart. Both organizations fund cardiovascular research, run public CPR/FAST education, and operate national fundraising event portfolios with analogous revenue models.
• Canadian Cancer Society: Canada's largest disease-specific health charity and the closest domestic peer in mission, scale, and operating model — research grantmaking, public-awareness campaigns, donations, lotteries, and signature fundraising events.
• Diabetes Canada: A Canadian disease-specific health charity that competes for the same donor and corporate partner wallet, operates a national lottery, funds peer-reviewed research, and runs public-awareness and professional-education programs.
• British Heart Foundation: The UK's flagship heart charity with a near-identical mission, including research funding, health-information publishing, retail/e-commerce, and large-scale community fundraising events.
• Canadian Lung Association: A Canadian health charity competing with Heart & Stroke for donations, lottery share, and cardiopulmonary research funding; targets overlapping risk-factor and lifestyle content areas.
• ALS Society of Canada: Canadian disease-specific health nonprofit in the same category named in the candidate disease-specific framework; comparable in research-funding, donor-engagement, and awareness-campaign models, though smaller in scale.
• Heart Foundation (National Heart Foundation of Australia): Australia's primary heart-disease nonprofit with parallel programs in research funding, prevention education, and community fundraising; a strong international analog in mission and funding structure.

Broad incumbents

• World Heart Federation: The international federation linking national heart foundations including Heart & Stroke Canada; analogous cardiovascular mission but functions as a global policy and advocacy umbrella rather than a direct donor-competitor.
• World Stroke Organization: The global umbrella body for stroke societies, addressing stroke awareness, guidelines, and policy at international scale. Comparable in stroke-mission focus but operates as a broader professional society rather than a national donor-funded charity.

Others

• March of Dimes Canada: A named partner organization supporting people living with stroke and disabilities; comparable in disability/chronic-condition support and rehabilitation programming, with adjacent rather than competing fundraising channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HeartandStroke
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/heartandstrokefdn
• Facebookfacebook.com/heartandstroke
• Instagraminstagram.com/heartandstroke
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heart-and-stroke

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada